1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of aircraft taxi navigation systems that provide information to pilot or flight crew of the aircraft. The embodiments herein improve taxi navigation systems through the use of a processor that receives the aircraft position data, retrieves taxi navigation symbology based upon the aircraft position data from a taxi navigation database, and displays taxi navigation information of airport ground surfaces in an egocentric view.
2. Description of the Related Art
Runway incursions are the most noticeable form of taxi navigation errors. Increased scrutiny by regulatory authorities has only heightened the awareness of the safety issues related to runway incursions. Taxi navigation errors cause many runway incursions and present potential collision hazards.
A root cause of many of all of taxi navigation errors is the loss of situational awareness during taxi operations. Taxi diagrams have helped correct the problem associated with the loss of situational awareness. However, taxi diagrams require the pilot to look down and read a taxi chart while operating the aircraft that is under power. This is analogous to looking down into one's car to read details from a roadmap or GPS navigation screen while driving. Accordingly, the embodiments herein provide a solution to taxi navigation errors by the development of a novel system, devices, and methods to alleviate the difficulties of reading a taxi map while taxiing.
In the embodiments herein, indications are presented in an egocentric manner or a “pilot's eye” view and not a “bird's eye” view such as reading a roadmap. There are several novel aspects to the embodiments herein including the use of ICAO taxiway and runway signage symbols depicted in an egocentric format on the primary cockpit indicator, the placement of symbologies of runway signage to indicate upcoming left and right turns and current airport surface, the use of distance indications adjacent to the symbologies, and display of a plurality of turns to the left and to the right.